After the Mad Villain Is Reborn - Chapter 2

Jiang Youbai’s demonic power permeated the entire Ling Mountain. Every whispered word from the cultivators reached his ears. He watched Mu Qingke, observing as the man guarded himself while swiftly reaching for the jade token at his waist, intending to crush it.

With a flick of his iridescent feathers, Jiang Youbai snatched the token from Mu Qingke’s hand.

“Oh no!” Mu Qingke, thrown back by the peacock’s tail, watched in despair as the token fell into the creature’s grasp. His heart turned cold.

It is over. We are all going to die here today.

The jade token was pure, radiating a chilling sensation. It felt like cold mountain spring water flowing over its surface, sending shivers down one’s spine, yet the abundant spiritual power within it made one feel strangely comfortable.

Jiang Youbai felt this sensation was familiar. Before he could dwell on it, the token suddenly emitted a brilliant light that blinded those nearby.

Jiang Youbai, being the closest, was also struck by the glare. He turned his head and closed his eyes, yet he felt the coldness from the token slip into his body like a clear stream. The comfort was akin to being submerged in a refreshing, icy spring.

“Heavens! It is actually a human-form demonic beast!”

Someone managed to open their eyes first, witnessing the bizarre scene before them.

Mu Qingke quickly opened his eyes, witnessing a sight so impactful he would never forget it for the rest of his life.

On a giant rock in the middle of the forest sat a snow-white figure. Seen from afar, it looked like a mound of accumulated snow, shimmering with silver light. In the emerald forest, the person resembled a snow spirit. His features were delicate and refined, and his mane of snowy silver hair looked ethereal, not of this mortal world. His entire being was covered in snow-white, as if a heavy snowfall had blanketed him, even his exposed skin mirroring the pale color of snow.

A small, blood-red mole beneath his eye stood out prominently, adding a touch of bewitching allure to his youthful, handsome face.

What made it most difficult to look away was the tail subtly visible behind him.

Human form, beast tail.

No wonder the Demon Lord would occupy this world’s only surviving human-form demonic beast to use as a cauldron for cultivation.

No, now there were two.

Jiang Youbai did not know how he had inexplicably transformed into human form. In his previous life, he only manifested this form after joining the Shangqing Sect, and it was Shen Changchuan who had helped him.

Thinking back and forth, his gaze fell on the jade token in his hand. The token had already developed a crack, and the spiritual power within it had dissipated, leaving behind a piece of high-quality jade with no energy.

It seemed that while he had his eyes closed, the message had already been sent out.

Then, who would come from the Shangqing Sect?

Would it be his Senior Brother, or his “good” Master?

Jiang Youbai chuckled softly and tossed the token aside like a carefree, wealthy disciple, his every movement radiating arrogance.

He looked at the wary group, much like he had stood on the edge of the Shangqing Sect’s cliff. He tilted his head, and on his pure, flawless face, that smile remained harmless and innocent.

However, the surrounding demonic power surged like a fierce gale. Mu Qingke’s expression changed. With Liu Yingyuan as a cautionary tale, no one believed this human-form beast could be easily captured.

Several disciples, bound by the demonic power, felt as if their bodies were about to be torn apart. Filled with both fear and rage, they cried out, “When our Senior Brother arrives, he will definitely avenge us! Then you will be skinned and pulled of your tendons!”

Jiang Youbai’s lips remained curved, the small mole beneath his eye gleaming. “Very well, I shall wait for him here.”

At that moment, a commotion erupted in the sky. A dark shadow swept in quickly, and the disciples rejoiced, “The Senior Brother is here!”

“Great! Let the Senior Brother torture this beast properly!”

From the other side came a scoff, short and sharp, like the ringing of a bell.

“What are you laughing at? Let us see how you laugh in a moment!”

Jiang Youbai remained seated on the giant rock, resting his chin in one hand like a bored young master. “I am laughing at your inability to distinguish between your Senior Brother and someone from the Demon Realm.”

“What?”

The shadow drew closer. Indeed, demonic energy ravaged the forest, instantly colliding with Jiang Youbai’s demonic power. The two forces checked one another as several crimson figures landed nearby.

The newcomer wore seductive red robes, as though dyed in fresh blood. Amidst the demonic miasma, he looked like a Buddhist lotus climbing from the abyss of a dark pool. His long ink-colored hair was braided into several strands, adding a touch of exotic flair, and his face held the unique beauty of an exotic soul.

Mu Qingke was shocked when he saw him. “The Demon Lord!”

Xie Qingli first swept a glance at Liu Yingyuan on the ground, then shifted his gaze to Jiang Youbai, a flash of admiration in his eyes. “Did you do this?”

The little fox at home was very good-looking, but this little peacock seemed even more beautiful.

Jiang Youbai did not even glance at Liu Yingyuan on the ground, merely looking at Xie Qingli. “Is that a problem?”

His expression was as if he were asking about something perfectly mundane. His amber eyes widened slightly, a picture of pure innocence.

Xie Qingli’s lips curved upward. He stared at Jiang Youbai, refusing to look away, as if he had already marked the target as his prey. “Of course not. In fact, it is very much to my taste.”

Mu Qingke, seeing this, hurriedly said, “We engaged this beast first! The Demon Lord already has one human-form beast; must you snatch this one too?”

Xie Qingli’s gaze was like a scorching flame, fixed upon the snow-white figure on the rock, as if he meant to possess the target. “When hunting beasts, one relies on their own ability. Even if I snatch it, so what?”

Another disciple added indignantly, “Does the Demon Lord want two cauldrons? Are you not afraid of dying from exhaustion?”

Xie Qingli laughed loudly upon hearing this. Then, with a casual wave of his hand, without even releasing noticeable demonic energy, the disciple found himself moving against his own will. His hands, uncontrolled, clamped tightly around his own throat!

His limbs were bound by blood-red threads, like a puppet. In an instant, he was manipulated into killing himself.

In a brief moment, no one had the time to intervene, nor could they have.

Xie Qingli lowered his hand calmly, the crimson threads between his fingers vanishing quickly. “Now, do you still have any objections?”

Mu Qingke: “No.”

In the silence of the shocked group, someone scoffed. Xie Qingli turned to the source of the sound, only to see that on the giant rock, the snow-white figure was swinging his pair of slender, snow-white legs. Like an innocent child, his bare feet, smooth as mutton-fat jade, swung back and forth, making people feel strangely restless.

“When you were discussing my ownership, did you ever ask me?” Jiang Youbai smiled at Xie Qingli. In his previous life, demons had come to Ling Mountain to compete for beasts with the Immortal Alliance, but it had not been Xie Qingli.

Were the events of the past just a warning dream, or were they real? And because of his rebirth, everything around him had changed?

Xie Qingli did not answer Jiang Youbai’s question. He took a step forward, slowly approaching him. “You are even more to my liking than the little fox at home.”

Jiang Youbai watched Xie Qingli’s movements, his tail feathers slowly rising. “Since you already have a fox at home, Demon Lord, yet you come out to steal a snack, are you not afraid the fox will scratch you when you return?”

Xie Qingli chuckled. “It does not matter. He has a very good temper. I believe the two of you can coexist peacefully. Perhaps we could even play something a bit more exciting.”

Jiang Youbai’s lips twitched. Calculating the distance, his demonic power surged toward Xie Qingli, and his tail feathers whipped out, cutting through the air like a sharp, gleaming sword.

Cold, pale silver light intertwined in the forest, and dark demonic energy swallowed the surroundings. No one could see what happened, save for the flickering of silver light.

As the clouds of energy dispersed, Xie Qingli stood there, his robes fluttering slightly, his hand gripping Jiang Youbai’s slender, swan-like neck, just as he had done to the Immortal Alliance disciple earlier.

But looking closer, one could see several marks on Xie Qingli’s bewitching face, droplets of blood seeping out, and the robes on his shoulder were shredded, leaving him covered in battle wounds.

As for Jiang Youbai, he was entangled in blood-red threads. Around his neck, wrists, and ankles, the red lines looked like bloodstains across his snow-white skin, merging with his body.

Xie Qingli’s eyes narrowed slightly. He glanced down at the blood hole near his heart, and instead of anger, he laughed. “Truly wild and hard to tame.”

He used his other hand to press onto the blood hole near Jiang Youbai’s heart, his smile bloodthirsty. “To kill me, you were willing to injure yourself to this extent. You really are a vicious thing.”

Jiang Youbai, being pressed against his wound, maintained a calm expression as if he felt no pain. Yet, in the next second, a feather he had pulled from his tail transformed into a blade, and he ruthlessly drove it into the hand Xie Qingli had placed on his wound!

Xie Qingli immediately retracted his hand. Looking at the feather embedded in his palm, a trace of fury flashed in his eyes, but then he laughed again. “Were you not afraid that if I had reacted faster and moved my hand, you would have stabbed yourself?”

Jiang Youbai looked at his hand and raised his eyebrows in a provocative manner. “But the fact is, I won.”

Xie Qingli’s smile faltered for a moment. In the next second, he pulled Jiang Youbai toward him, his thumb pressing slowly against Jiang Youbai’s lips, smearing the blood onto the other’s mouth like cosmetic lip stain, beautiful and moving. “No matter. Wild beasts always have a bit of edge that needs to be tamed.”

Jiang Youbai opened his mouth and bit Xie Qingli. For some reason, he felt blood falling into his mouth and sliding down his throat.

The feeling was intense. It did not feel like simple blood; it felt like it contained something foreign. He stared coldly at Xie Qingli. “What did you feed me?”

Xie Qingli smiled. The finger Jiang Youbai had just bitten pressed against his lips again, intending to forcefully part them and stir inside.

Suddenly, an immensely oppressive spiritual pressure approached from behind. Xie Qingli’s gaze sharpened, and he turned to meet the water-like, icy power.

Two powerful forces collided, scattering countless stars in the air like a grand display of fireworks.

“It is the Sect Leader!”

“The Sect Leader actually came in person!”

“I knew the Sect Leader might come! Quickly, catch that beast; it cannot fall into the hands of the Demon Lord!”

Starlight fell through the forest, and a touch of moonlight, carrying biting coldness, descended from the sky. Long, ink-colored hair fluttered in the wind. His cold expression was like that of a compassionate god high above the heavens. A projection of a jade token radiated golden light, unfolding in mid-air like a scroll. Having accumulated spiritual power, it smashed toward Xie Qingli like a falling meteor, a solemn judgment.

Xie Qingli released Jiang Youbai, though he still tugged at the blood threads in his hand. He raised his arm to counter the jade tokens. The blood-red threads were ground into powder by the force of the tokens, the fierce offensive aimed directly at taking his life.

Seeing the situation was unfavorable, he spun and dodged. Where Xie Qingli had stood just a moment before, the jade tokens were now deeply embedded in the mud. The surrounding trees were instantly frozen; for a hundred miles around, everything was crystalline and transparent, devoid of all vegetation.

The red threads connecting Xie Qingli to Jiang Youbai had snapped clean at some point. Having been injured by Jiang Youbai, Xie Qingli knew he had no chance of winning against the newcomer. He looked at Jiang Youbai and smiled perversely, “Little peacock, you will come looking for me. I will be waiting for you at the Moruo River.”

Jiang Youbai had no time to spare for him. From the moment the moonlight descended, his gaze had been fixed on that celestial figure. Ink-colored hair and white robes, with a jade token as his weapon, cold as the moon, it was the Head of the Immortal Alliance, the number one person under the heavens, the Sect Leader of the Shangqing Sect.

His “good” Master.

And at this moment, he was wrapped in that cold, aloof aura, the red threads that could manipulate his limbs now gripped firmly in the Master’s hand.